Barbie releases new dolls to mark International Women's Day

The Canadian Press

Published: Mar 06 at 2:30 a.m.

Updated: Mar 06 at 5:15 p.m.

A trailblazing film director. A snowboarding champion. A pioneering mathematician for NASA. An iconic artist. Barbie is marking International Women's Day by honouring some of the inspiring women of the present and the past.

The brand announced on Tuesday — a day before International Women's day — that it has chosen 17 modern-day and historic role models to honour with a doll in their likeness.

The brand's new "Inspiring Women" series is honouring pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart; celebrated artist Frida Kahlo; and Katherine Johnson, the NASA mathematician who broke race and gender barriers. Johnson, who is now 99, was featured in the recent movie "Hidden Figures." These dolls come with educational information about the contributions each has made to society.